I would quibble with the part of the post Fay linked to that says Children of Earth was groundbreaking for mixing sci-fi with social commentary. Adi Tantimedh's piece at Bleeding Cool did a pretty good job of putting Torchwood in context. I saw several responses to the show that were along the lines of, "Hey, that was proper British sci-fi, and not just an imitation of American TV."
Also, I can kill you with my brain.
River ,'Trash'
Boxed Set, Vol. V: Just a Hint of Denial and a Dash of Retcon
A topic for the discussion of Doctor Who, Arrow, and The Flash. Beware possible invasions of iZombie, Sleepy Hollow, or pretty much any other "genre" (read: sci fi, superhero, or fantasy) show that captures our fancy. Expect adult content and discussion of the Big Gay Sex.
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Strega - Jul 16, 2009 6:06:11 am PDT #8864 of 30001
Fay - Jul 16, 2009 6:16:55 am PDT #8865 of 30001
"Fuck Western ideologically-motivated gender identification!" Sulu gasped, and came.
I would quibble with the part of the post Fay linked to that says Children of Earth was groundbreaking for mixing sci-fi with social commentary.
Fair enough. Which British TV show/s are you thinking of in particular?
Vortex - Jul 16, 2009 7:07:13 am PDT #8866 of 30001
"Cry havoc and let slip the boobs of war!" -- Miracleman
I would quibble with the part of the post Fay linked to that says Children of Earth was groundbreaking for mixing sci-fi with social commentary.
Hey, we've been doing that since the '60s! Star Trek was all about the social commentary - interracial dating, tolerance, peace/war! :)
Burrell - Jul 16, 2009 8:54:08 am PDT #8867 of 30001
Why did Darth Vader cross the road? To get to the Dark Side!
War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, there's a long tradition of mixing sci fi and social commentary.
Cashmere - Jul 16, 2009 10:00:30 am PDT #8868 of 30001
Now tagless for your comfort.
Watching Eureka now. Would like to note that when Henry says the dish is made of a beryllium compound that that's a real metal. Good on the writers for researching a light but strong metal.
Strega - Jul 16, 2009 11:23:25 am PDT #8869 of 30001
Which British TV show/s are you thinking of in particular?The Prisoner leaps to mind. Quartermass has a number of similarities to CoE that I suspect are intentional on Davies' part. Cold Lazarus.
Star Trek was all about the social commentary - interracial dating, tolerance, peace/war!
Fond as I am of old-school Trek... it's got plenty of moralizing, but I think to qualify as social commentary, the criticism needs a bit more nuance than "war is bad."
Polter-Cow - Jul 16, 2009 11:25:35 am PDT #8870 of 30001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
War is bad ("A Taste of Armageddon"), except when it is good ("Errand of Mercy")! See, nuance.
Dana - Jul 16, 2009 11:26:04 am PDT #8871 of 30001
I haven't trusted science since I saw the film "Flubber."
I think to qualify as social commentary, the criticism needs a bit more nuance than "war is bad."
Aside from any storylines, Trek had an Asian man, a black woman, and a Russian character on the bridge. I agree that it often wasn't very nuanced commentary, but also agree that Children of Earth is hardly the first sci-fi to address social issues.
Frankenbuddha - Jul 16, 2009 6:33:06 pm PDT #8872 of 30001
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
Aside from any storylines, Trek had an Asian man, a black woman, and a Russian character on the bridge. I agree that it often wasn't very nuanced commentary, but also agree that Children of Earth is hardly the first sci-fi to address social issues.
Also, the guy with the pointed ears and green blood was one of the main characters, and undisputedly a good guy. Hell, I've always thought the whole goateed version = evil was dead wrong as Spock turned out to be basically the same in the mirror-verse (and Cartman's goateed twin WAS the good twin) as in "ours". Big change, since I the only positive alien in a mainstream context I can think of prior was Michael Rennie in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. I'm sure I've missed a few, though.
Jessica - Jul 17, 2009 8:01:38 am PDT #8873 of 30001
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
Star Trek isn't sci-fi for adults on British TV though. (Which just goes to show that if you define your parameters narrowly enough, almost anything can be "groundbreaking.")